In the News – ‘Granite, Ho!”: Tracking the Stone’s 30-Year Ascendance

For the middle class, granite countertops have long been a symbol of domestic luxury. Indeed, granite has been championed so strongly for nearly 30 years, Vox walks through history to explain how “Granite Mania” came to be.

Advances in stone-cutting technology, shipment, and overwhelming supply breeding overwhelming demand are all factors keeping granite’s value high amongst homeowners as the best countertop choice. While marble and quartz are becoming increasingly popular, granite shows no sign of falling out of vogue.

It hasn’t always been that way. In 1986, when legendary graphic designer Deborah Sussman used granite countertops in her kitchen, the New York Times called it a “down-to-earth” choice. The next year, it was singled out as a cutting-edge material in the Los Angeles Times, but still too expensive for most people. Throughout the ’80s, granite was still jockeying with marble for favor among California yuppies.